Ride your Gran Fondo strong from the first climb to the final kilometre. This 16 week season peak build takes you from aerobic base to sportive ready with a structured progression of endurance, sustained climbing power, durability and race day fuelling, all indoor and Zwift friendly.

WHO IT IS FOR: Committed amateur cyclists targeting a Gran Fondo, sportive or long mountainous ride who can train 9 to 12 hours a week. You should be comfortable riding several hours and ready to commit to a full season length build. Every session is power based off an FTP test you complete on day one.

HOW IT PROGRESSES: Sixteen weeks across four phases. Base weeks 1 to 4 build aerobic volume and introduce sweet spot. Base two weeks 5 to 8 extend the long rides and add tempo and threshold. Build weeks 9 to 12 layer sweet spot, threshold and sportive specific sustained climbs onto that base. Peak weeks 13 to 15 bring the biggest long rides and a full five hour dress rehearsal, before race week 16 tapers you to a fresh, sharp event day. Recovery weeks at 4, 8 and 12 let the work sink in.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT: No two quality sessions repeat across the sixteen weeks. You get inventive threshold ladders, over unders, 40 20s, attack and hold reps, sweet spot cascades, standing surge climbs and wave undulating long rides that grow toward event duration. Every ride carries a plain English six section briefing and one link to peer reviewed sports science, so you always know what you are doing and why.

WHAT TO EXPECT EACH WEEK: Around five to six rides a week, typically two or three quality weekday sessions, a midweek endurance ride and a big weekend long ride that undulates like real terrain. Weekly notes state your hours and target load, name the key sessions, and keep your fuelling on track at 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. You will finish knowing you can pace it, fuel it and climb it. Questions any time to Bryn@teamevolve.cc.